Mill for cold-rolling lapped tubes.



J. S. WORTH & W. F. HARRISON. MILL FOR OOLD ROLLING LAPPED TUBES.APPLICATION FILED D210. 31, 1907.

991,407, Patented May 2, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

JOHN s. won'rn. Am: WILLIAM F. .HABBISON, or COATESVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA,-

assreuons 'ro sun sYLvA'Ivm.

won'rn AIND WILLIAM r. woarrrr, or COA'IESVILLE, PENN- MILL F03.GOLD-ROLLING-iLAPPED TUBES.

Patented May 1911.

Application filed December 31', 1901. Serial n. 406,853.

To all whom it may concern: 7

.Be it known that we, JOHN S. WORTH and WILLIAM F. 'HARRIBON, citizensof the United States, residing in Coatesville, Pennsylvania',.haveinvented certain Improvements in Mills for Cold-Rolling Lapped Tubes, of

which the following is a specification.

The object of our invention is to construct a mill for converting a flatskelp having 10 scarfed edges into a tubular form without injuring thescarfed edges during the process of forming the tube. This object weattain in the following manner} reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, in

' which Figure 1, is a plan view of a tube rolling mill illustrating ourinvention; Fig. 2, is a .section on the line 2 -2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3, is asectional view through one of the rolls;

7 Figs. 4 to .12, inclusive, are diagrammatic views illustratingdifi'erent steps of the process; and Fig. 13, is a sectional view of theskelp before being bent.

The rolling mill inthe present instance is composed of a series ofelements A each mounted 'upon foundation beams C and these severalelements can be adjusted with respect to each other on the foundation.

Mounted in the housing a are several shafts b driven from a longitudinalshaft B.

through gearing as shown. All thehorizontally arranged rolls are driven,but the vertical .rolls are not.v driven. Motion is imparted to theserolls by the skelp as it is 85 passed between them.

The above will give a general idea of the mill itself and the particularinvention relates to the rolls for bending the skelp into the form of atube, as it will be understood 40 that other forms of mills may be usedto carry out our invention.

Referring to Fig. 4, D is the first upper roll and E is the first lowerroll and this latter roll is grooved as shown at e, the

groove being slightly rounded at each end e.

The upper roll is shaped to conform to the groove e in the lower roll;the skelp is passed between these two rolls and the body portion a ofthe skelp remains flat while the edges 6 are slightly bent. The flatskelp is of. the form illustrated in Fig'. 13, which shows an end. viewof the skelp. .As the skelp passes between the rolls D and E it will benoted that the edge of the skelp does not come in 56 contact with anyportion of either roll and roll E is, therefore, not injured as in theordinarymethods of rolling scarfed tubes. The skelp asit passes betweenthe rolls D and E is given a still further bend at each edge. Thisbending operation is continued and as 60 the skelp passes between therolls D and E, Fig. 6, theedges are still unconfined and the skelp nearits edge is curved almost'to the curve of the tube to be formed. I InFig. 7, the lower roll E is grooved so as to slightly curve thebodyportion of the skelp and the roll d is much narrower than thepreceding roll and is shaped to conform to the center portion of thegroove in the V This pass is the last pass of the horizontal rolls.

The rolls in Figs. 8 to 11 inclusive are side pressure rolls used forforcing the skelp into tubular form after it leaves the rolls D 'and E.The rolls F andG, Fig. 8, are ar ranged on a vertical axis and are eachgrooved so as to force the edges of the trough-shaped blank toward eachother. In

Fig. 9, the rolls F and G are arranged closer together and the groove inthe roll.

G is a trifle less in width than the groove in the roll F, causing theedge w of the skelp to be depressed slightly more than the edge w Thetwo edges are brought almost together as the skelp passes between theserolls and in Fig. 10 the rolls F and Gr are so arranged in respect toeach other and the'groove in the roll Gis much narrower than the groovein ihe roll F? that the edge a: of the skelp 'wil ass under the edge :0and form the first ap. In Fig. .11, the lap is still continned until theskelp is'bent so as to give the' lap required. In all of these figures(8 to 11 inclusive), the bases of thegrooves in the several rolls are inthe same line and the difl'erence in the width'of the groovesis at theupper edge, and in each one of these figures it will be noticed thatthescarfed edge of the skelp does not come in contact with any portion ofthe roll so that it cannot be" injured in passing between any of therolls, Figs. 4 to 11 inclusive. The skelp in its lapped condition asses'froin the rolls F and G between ro 1s H and I. Fig. 12,

where it is given itsfinal. form; These rolls 1 are horizontallyarranged and each roll has an annular groove; the grooves aline' onewith the other, and as the tube. passesbetw e s rolls he app d sa e e hskelp are brought toward each other and thi no a fixed point on thehousings and extend the rod through the space between the rolls F and Hand mount thereon balls 8, 8, s 8 and s of a diameter about the same asthe inner diameter of the tube to be formed, so as to prevent collapsingof the tube in case it has a tendency so to do, and also to insure thetube having a given diameter.

These balls are especially essential in the H pass between the rolls Hand I where the tube is given its final form. Thus it will be seen thatwe are enabled to take a skelp in which the edges are scarfed and passit between the rolls bending it into tubular form with the scarfededges'overlapping, without the edges coming in contact with any portionof the rolls, thus preserving the sharp edge of the scarf so desirablein tube manufacture. Furthermore, in this method of making a tube we areenabled to properly lap the skelp completely at each end, so that theentire length of the skelp can be used as a tube, as when the skelp isproperly lapped at each end it can be readily welded from one end to theother, which is not the case in the present method of making la weldedtubes whcre several inches at eac end have to be cut off and discarded,owing to imperfect lappin Referring now to 1 and 2, we prefer-. ablyspace the several rolls I) and E to D and E a given distance apart andplace between the rolls guide rollers n and n. The

lower-rollers n are grooved, conforming as near as possible tothegrooves in the precedmg roll of the mill and'the upper roll a is.slightly narrower than the preceding roll of the mill but is ofsufiicient width to keep the skelp in a straight line so that it willproperly enter the space between the next pair of rolls. There arepreferably two of these rolls between each pair of main rolls but thisconstruction may be modified and bearing plates may be used in place ofthe rollers, if desired. There is also placed back of the rolls D and'Ea presser roll m which tends to keep the skelp down upon its seat m asit is transferred from the rolls D, E to the rolls F and G. Between thetwo sets of rolls H and I, weplace a trough t and there is a final pairof rolls u, a between which the tube passes after it leaves the lastpair of rolls H and I.

We preferably make all of the, horizontally arranged rolls in twosections, as illustrated in Fig. 3, which, in the present instance is adetail view of the lower roll E.

The axle K of this roll has a flange k extending between the twosections a of'the roll E and transverse bolts d, d extend through thesections and through the flange.

In the event of wear these sect-ions can be detached, the groove re-cutin the periphery of the sections and secured by the bolts in position onthe axle. This arrangement enables us to re-dre'ss the rolls and toreplace a portion if it should be necessary.

We have shown means for adjusting any one of the rolls but it will beunderstood that any means for adjusting the rolls may be used withoutdeparting rom the main .features of the invention.

It will be seen that by the use of our improved mill a skelp can bescarfed at each edgeand placed u on the .roller table a and fed coldthrough tiie passes between the sev eral rolls; the skelp near-its edgesbeing bent inthe several-passesso as to conform.

somewhat to the sha e of the finished tube the other set of rolls whichgradua 1y force the edges of the trough-shaped skelp together, bendingone edge below the line of the other so that the edges will pass eachother, forming a la ped tube which can be introduced into a urnace andheated and then welded, producing a weld that is perfect throughout theentre length of the tube.

While we have shown only the horizontal rolls driven, both thehorizontal and vertical rolls may be driven if desired, or any number ofeach set may be driven to properly pull the skelp through the severalpasses. I

We claim l. The combination in a continuous'mill for rollin scarfedskelps into lapped tubes without t e use of formers, of a series ofhorizontally arranged rolls for first bending the skelp near the edgeand then the body of the skelp while the edges are free from engagement,a series of vertically arranged grooved rolls shaped to bend the skelpso that one-edge will pass the other, a horizontally arranged set offinal rolls, and a ball between the rolls whereby the skelp receives itsfinal shape.

2. The combination in a mill for cold rolling scarfed skelps into lappedtubes, of a series of two high primary rolls spaced a given distanceapart, means for driving said rolls, the said rolls being shapedsubstantially as described, guide rolls between the sets of formingrolls, a series of vertically arranged secondary rolls for pressing thepreviously formed blank into a tube with lapped edges, a presser rollbetween the primary and secondary rolls, one or more sets ofhorizontally arranged final rolls, a rod extending through the secondaryand the two sections and the flange. J OH S. WORTH. 4. The combinationin a two-part rolling WILLIAM F. HARRISON.

mill roll, of an axle having a central flan Witnesses:

10 extending between the two parts of the re WILLIAM S. G. 000K,

991,407 I a a final rolls, and balls on said rod over which ceive theflange, and transverse bolts exthe skelp 1s tending through each part ofthe roll and 3. The combination in a roll ng mill roll, flange.

of an axle having a flange, the roll being In testimony whereof, we havesigned our 15 5 made in two sections bearing against the names to thisspecification, in the presence flange, and transverse bolts passingthrough of two subscribm witnesses.

each part of the roll being grooved to re- W. FRANK Warm.

